Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The Game Of Life






Dust settled on the chessboard,
the queen and king no longer dance,
through the square green patches on the board.
The gardens are silent with sadness.
The little boy waited for them to awaken
and play hide and seek with the knight and the bishop.
He dreamt,
his mentor gone.
He remembered the wisdom taught,
the lessons of defeat ,
and the triumph of victory.
His grandpa's wisdom,
about the art of living.
His instruction of the game,
his kindness.
The boy became a man,
as he reached for the stars,
as he jumped over the hurdles of life,
he whispered  under his breath, " checkmate. This one is for you grandpa."

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94 comments:

  1. smiles...lovely piece....and what a grandfather to make such an impression on the boys and that he would live to be a tribute to him as well...it is a game well played..

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  2. oh he learned his lesson well and what a man that grandfather must have been..reaching for the stars is a good thing...

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  3. Relating chess to life and all that was taught and reaching for the stars, all wrapped into verse. Woderful piece. Great last line love the "check mate" remark.

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  4. I love wisdom past from grandparents to grandchildren often in quite rituals and stolen moments. You captured this so well.

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  5. Nicely crafted ayala...I love the way you depicted the path of wisdom and where it may be found..where it comes from,,,and where it goes!

    Roger ☺

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  6. Grandpas are like superheroes to the little ones. Their lessons and wisdom are seared in memory for a long time.

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  7. ahhh ... lovely game to teach a grandchild too.

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  8. Ah... how special and encouraging. Love the chess comparison

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  9. Amazing what a child can learn in a game... sharing wisdom from a nuturing and learned adult. we never forget those who nuture us and the life lessons we learn from them.

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  10. That's sweet, Ayala. I've never caught onto chess much, but he obviously loved his grandpa a lot. And reaching for the stars is something all your poems do -- and succeed.

    xo

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  11. Very nice lessons from the grandpa..chess is more than a game of wits...it also teaches about patience and life ~

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  12. ...and those words of wisdom live on loud and clear during the difficult times.

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  13. Thank you, Brian. I thought of this when my son was receiving his interviews for his residency. My dad was so proud of him...he taught him so much.

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  14. Thank you, Claudia. He was an amazing man and a great grandfather.

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  15. Thank you, darkangelwrites. So true....

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  16. I agree, Belinda. I think of mine and the longing is still there.....

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  17. Adura, we remember those that nurture us...they are such an important part of us.

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  18. Jannie..he loved his grandpa and his grandpa loved him... xoxo

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  19. Yes, Heaven..it's a great game that teaches so much...

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  20. I enjoyed reading it and loved the checkmate ending.

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  21. Beautiful - just the right amount of pathos, and victory in the end. Well done.

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  22. Nice emotions expressed and emulating from this piece. :) I love the chess reference, I can imagine the guidance the grandfather had given to the man. Enjoyed this. :)

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  23. layered such lovely imagery, the closing sentiment a touching end. ~ Rose

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  24. Touching and tender...I had a grandfather like that. A remarkable gift.

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  25. This is lovely, and you captured the special love between a child and grandparent. I wasn't as close to my grandparents as my children are. I'm so thankful they have that.

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  26. Oh, such a lovely tale. I miss my grandparents too.

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  27. very tender moment captured in this delightful verse.

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  28. Victoria...it is a wonderful gift..I was fortunate too.

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  29. Thank you, Lori. it's great that your children have it...it's truly a gift.

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  30. A beautiful piece Ayala. Love the picture of the chessboard, garden squares and dancing pieces. The last line is so touching. Good job!

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  31. so lovely that your son had a grandfather to inspire him like that.

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  32. Oh that was so moving. I got chills when I read the last line. Beautiful.

    My DH can't wait to teach my boys how to play chess someday.

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  33. A strong and delightful poem.

    Lady Nyo

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  34. The payback for Gramps is in the later success of the youngsters. Great!

    Hank

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  35. awwwww - yea for grandpa and yea for the boy who was willing to learn.

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  36. I like the metaphor. Those first lines are powerful and I like how you ended it. Nicely done.

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  37. As always, ayala, you bring us up with stories of human love and affirmation. Loved it.

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  38. sometimes only grandparents can really teach the art of living.

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  39. Thank you, Pervagus . I am glad that you enjoyed it. :)

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  40. Thank you, Leslie. He is missed....

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  41. Thank you, CM. I hope your boys love it as much as my sons do. :)

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  42. Thank you, Joy. How kind of you to say.

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  43. Lauren, grandparents are such a gift when they nurture and love.

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  44. Oh, I love this. This is such a touching poem. As a grandmother myself, I hope my grandkids learn some life lessons from me!

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  45. this made me think so much of my son and my dad, always so close, he set such a good example for my son. very touching poem!

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  46. a game well played ... so touching :)

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  47. Very nice piece, brings me back, not in an identical fashion, yet similar still. Thanks for that, enjoyed the read

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  48. A lovely dedication.. we all learn most profound things from the people we have loved in our childhood and it stays forever... I liked this poem as I relate with it so much.. I too learned Chess from my Grandfather and some times say the same thing... this one is for you Grandpa


    Shashi
    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/2011/11/whispers-fire-faayar-faayaar-dedicated.html
    At Twitter @VerseEveryDay

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  49. Some great moves and gambits in this remarkable write. Loved it!

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  50. Thank you, Mary. I am sure that they will learn many things from you. :)

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  51. Thank you, Kelly. It was fortunate for your dad and your son. I think of how my dad loved to teach my son and it brings back such warm memories.

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  52. Shashi, I am glad this resonated with you. Grandparents have a wealth of knowledge and they have patience....such a blessing.

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  53. Grandson and Grandpa, learning so much about life and each other playing chess... that's a great bond. A real gift to carry throughout life. A lovely poem, Ayla. Thanks for sharing.

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  54. I love how you used the game of chess as a parallel. So beautiful! I too learned from my grandfather and I'll always be so grateful to have had that experience.

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  55. what a glorious feeling it is to say, 'checkmate!'

    beautiful words, ayala!

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  56. a cool story with unbeatable message and brilliant metaphor in it, it is a pleasure to read you.
    smiles.

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  57. Thank you, Ameena. I have great memories of my grandparents that I cherish...we are fortunate.

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  58. QUITE excellent!

    Aloha from Honolulu

    Comfort Spiral

    > < } } ( ° >

    ><}}(°>

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  59. oh Ayala, such tenderness in every word. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

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  60. This is a lovely piece. If my grandpa is alive, I will send these verses to him.

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  61. Thank you, Quay Po. That's sweet of you to say!

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